Room air conditioner mounting arrangement

ABSTRACT

Room air conditioner mounting and closure apparatus in which a frame-carried, self-coiling, flexible sheet with a permanently coiled set is used to cover and uncover the space between the side of the air conditioner and the facing building element.

United States Patent Appl. No.

Frederick S. Metcalie Columbus, Ohio 476,105 July 30, 1965 Jan. 5, 1971 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Pittsburgh, Pa. a corporation of Pennsylvania Inventor Filed Patented Assignee ROOM Am CONDITIONER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. l 160/26, 98/94, 160/240, 160/271 Int. Cl E06b 7/03 Field of Search 248/208,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1923 Hoffman 160/239X 7/1927 Scheller (160/27 16) 2/1930 Kreissig (160/238UX) 7/1965 Taber 160/238X 3/1966 Donker 3l2/297X 11/1957 l-lord 98/94 9/1958 Taber 211/49 7/1960 Grimes, Jr. 98/94 4/1962 Metcalfe 98/94 5/1964 Marsteller 98/94 Primary ExaminerRoy D. Frazier Attorneys-F. l-l. Henson, R. T. French and E. C. Arenz ABSTRACT: Room air conditioner mounting and closure apparatus in which a frame-carried, self-coiling, flexible sheet with a permanently coiled set is used to cover and uncover the space between the side of the air conditioner and the facing building element.

ROOM AIR CONDITIONER MOUNTING ARRANGEMEN This invention relates to improvements in mounting arments in which extendible wings of one type or another are.

provided on opposite sides of the air conditioner casing to block or fill the open spaces between the casing. andbuilding structure have largely supplanted the older arrangements of.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is the provision of an air conditioner mounting arrangement which: is relatively inexpensiveiprovidesa pleasing installed appearance; may be quickly and simply manipulated by the user; and which possess manyfother features desirable in mounting arrangement.

The heart of'the arrangement according to the invention is a I self-coiling, flexible. sheet which has been given a permanent set so that it assumes an unrestrained tightly coiled form to which it rapidly returns upon the release of any forces holding a room air conditioner it out of its coiled form. However, the sheet is of a character that it may be uncoiled and fed out'smoothly from roll form into a straight flat form by restraining meet its straight edges while moving the other straight edge and simultaneously guiding the opposite uncoiling end edges of the roll. Accordingly, closure frame means to guide the-sheet in its extension and retraction are provided.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing illustratinglone arrangement-embodying the invention byway of example, and wherein;

ends of the upper and lowe r members. The inboard ends of the upper and lower slides are telescopically received for sliding movement by the upper and lower guide tracks 34 and 36 fixed to the top 16 and bottom 37 faces, respectively, of the air conditioner casing.

The variable size space encompassed by the three-sided closure frame and unit casing as the frame is moved outwardly away from the air conditioner casing side is covered or blocked by the sheet 38 which is fed out from its slightly coiled form in accordance with-the movement of the closure frame.

This uncoiling feed is obtained, in essence, by retaining one straight longitudinal edge of the sheet at the side of the air conditioner casing while the opposite straight longitudinal edge is carried outwardly with the frame outboard member 32.

The shapes and relationships of the various parts of the arrangement will now be considered in some detail in connection with FIGS. 2- 6 illustrating the currently preferred form and relationship of the closure parts according to the invention..

Theuppe'r guide track 34 (FIG. 2), secured to the top face 16 of the air conditioner casing is generally L-shaped in cross section and includes an upright front leg 40, horizontal bottom leg 42,,and an upright stub rear leg 44 upon which the window rail 12 seats in the installed position of the air conditioner. The rear leg has a forwardly open channel extending along its top edge, and the upper edge of the forward leg is provided with a downwardly open channel. These channels serve as guides for the top and rear edges of the generally L-shaped upper slide 28 of the closure frame. As also shown in FIG. 2,

the underside of the horizontal leg of the slide 28 is provided with a pair of closely spaced, depending flanges which form a FIG. I is a face view of the room air conditioner and one mounting arrangement according to the invention installed in a conventional double-hung window;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section corresponding to one taken along the line Il-II of FIG. I, and illustrating the telescopic relation between the'upper slide member-of the ex-' tendible frame and the upper guide'track secured to the top of the air conditioner casing; Y

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, partly'broken horizontal section corresponding to one taken along line Ill-III of FIG. 1

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section corresponding to one taken along the line lV-IV of FIG. I, and illustrating the telescopic relation between thelower slide member of the extendible frame and the lower guide track secured to the bot tom of the air conditioner casing;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, partly broken, isometric view of the I right side of the air conditioner casing and right wing in an extended position; and

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the right wing in its retracted position.

Referring to FIG. 1, the room air conditioner is shown installed in a double-hung window with the rail 12 of the sash I4 lowered to the top of the air conditioner, and the right and left closure wings l8 and 20, respectively, extended outwardly away from the opposite side faces 22 and 24 of the air conditioner casing to close the areas defined, at the sides, between the casing and the facingwindow jarnbs, and at the top. and

bottom, between the window rail 14 and window stool 26.

The right and left closure wings are the same except for being arranged to be in mirror image relation. Hence attention will be mostly directed to only one of the wings. Each wing includes a three-sided closure frame including upper and lower horizontally slidable members 28 and 30, respectively, and a vertically disposed outboard member 32 secured to the outer narrow, downwardly open channel 46 adapted to slidably receive and guide the upper edge ofthe closure sheet 38.

The lower slide 30 (FIG. 4) of the closure frame is in the general form of a relatively shallow, upwardly open channel which is slidably received in nested relation in the lower guide track 36 secured to the bottom face 37 of the air conditioner casing. The lower slide has a relatively narrow, upwardly open channel 50 extending along its forward edge to slidably receive and guide the lower uncoiling edge of the sheet 38. The lower track 50 fits in the usual offset54 formed by the in side corner between the window stool 26 and the window sill ings which store the coiled portions of the sheets 38. Each longitudinally extending, bores 66 and 68 formed therein at top and bottom to receive self-tapping screws 70 (FIG. 5) which secure the ends of top and bottom slide members 28 and 30 to the housing ends. The provision of a housing with ample end areas serving as seats for the top and bottom sides, and the double screw securement at each corner, strengthens the outer corners of the closure frame. To enhance the stability of the frame in its installed position and to aid in sealing, a vertically extending angle 72 is adjustably fastened with screws 73 in slots 74 to the outer face of the housing 32 for adjustment in a front-to-rear direction to engage with the sash track.

As presently contemplated, it is preferable that the plastic sheet 38 have one longitudinally extending, straight edge 75 (FIGS. 3 and 5) held against the side face 22 of the air conditioner casing by a bar 76, with the other straight edge 78 being carried inside the coiled sheet portion in the housing 32. Instead of the flat bar 76, an extrusion with an upright slot may be used to hold the one straight edge 75 of the sheet captured.

In this case it is not necessary to form a right angle crimp in the end portion of the sheet.

To guide the top and bottom coiled edges into and out of a flat form, the height of the sheet exceeds the height of the casing enough that the top and bottom margins project above and below the planes of the top and bottom faces of the air conditioner casing. These marginal edges are received in the narrow, opposing, vertically aligned channels 46 and 50 of the top and bottom slide members 28 and 30, respectively. These channels serve as track means for the opposite end coiled edges.

The straight edge 78 inside the coiled sheet has a metal edge strip 82 clamped on it to prevent the plastic sheet from being accidentally pulled entirely out of the housing when the frame is extended beyond its design limit. The currently preferred form of the arrangement has the coil housing forming the outboard member of the frame and movable relative to the casing. The housing, in an alternate form, could be stationarily fixed against the side of the casing, but this alternate arrangement would, in a sense, fail to take advantage of the firm outer corner connections available with the cross-sectional breadth of the housing.

The air conditioner is installed by raising the lower sash, inserting the unit in the opening, lowering the sash so the rail seats on guide track 34, and extending the wings by simply pushing against flange 60 in an outward direction until the outboard member 32 seats against the window jamb. The closure frame is fixed in this position by tightening the thumb screw 80 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which secures upper slide 28 relative to the upper guide track 34. In some cases it may be desirable to increase the friction between the lower slide and lower track by attaching a leaf spring clip (not shown) to the lower slide to aid in maintaining the rectangular configuration of the wings in their extended positions. The wings are retracted by loosening the thumb screws 80 and sliding the closure frames inwardly to a position as shown in FIG. 6. The frame has substantial rigidity in all positions by virtue of the multiplicity of flange to channel slide relationships, and strong outer corners.

The currently preferred material of which the sheet 38 is formed is polyester plastic laminate identified by the trademark Mylar" of the du Pont Company. The thickness of the currently preferred laminate is in the order of 0.010 inches. Preferably, one face is delustered to reduce glossiness, and the opposite face which presented to the exterior of the building is of a weatherable character.

To obtain the permanently set, tightly coiled form of the material essential to the functioning of the arrangement according to the invention, the initially flat plastic sheet is first tightly coiled and so held while it is heated to a softening temperature somewhat below its melting temperature. After cooling, the material has a permanent set and upon the release of any substantial external forces holding it in a flat condition, the sheet will return to its tightly coiled form. The spring force exerted by the sheet in its uncoiled and flattened form seems to have the general characteristics of a constant force spring in which the force exerted tending to restore the tightly coiled form of the sheet is relatively uniform regardless of the extent to which the sheet is uncoiled. In any event, as the sheet is used in the inventive arrangement, there is no undesirable snap retraction encountered. The sheet 38 is waterproof and withstands various changes in weather conditions. In the extended position of the wings the sheet is to all appearances flat and thus easily cleaned ifnecessary.

The frames and guide tracks illustrated are advantageously aluminum extrusions. However they might alternately be plastic extrusions of suitable design and material, e.g., rigid polyvinyl chloride. In its retracted position the frames occupy little space with the usual advantages obtained thereby. The arrangement is applicable to many models of air conditioners and no internal rearrangement of parts inside the casing is necessary to accommodate it.

While the description has used a typical double hung window as an example of the installation environment, it will appreciate the inventive concept is readily applicable to other types of windows, such as casement, awning and jalousie, and horizontally sliding, for example, with suitable revisions to the frame and guide track structure. Accordingly, the term side" as used in the description and claims is not to be considered as limited to only a vertically extending member but is intended to equally comprehend horizontally extending members such as a top or bottom wall or side unless specifically limited.

The extendible wing arrangement of this invention may also be incorporated in'an integral frame which is initially entirely separate from the air conditioner casing. One such frame arrangement of this general type is disclosed in my US. Pat. No. 3,030,873.

Iclaim:

l. A closure arrangement for blocking the open space between the side of an air conditioner casing and a generally parallel, spaced-apart building element defining one side of the building opening in which said casing is positioned, comprising:

frame means movable toward and away from the side of said air conditioner casing facing said building element;

a coiled flexible imperforate plastic sheet having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces holding it out of its said tightly coiled form, said sheet having a radially inner and a radially outer edge;

means retaining one of said edges at said facing side of said air conditioner casing; and

means for carrying the other of said edges along with said frame means, so that said open space is covered and uncovered by said sheet uncoiling and coiling, respectively as said frame means is moved relative to said casing.

2. A mounting arrangement for blocking the open space between the side of an air conditioner casing and a generally parallel, spaced-apart building element defining one side of the building opening in which said casing is positioned, comprising:

a three-sided rectangular frame movable toward and away from the side of said air condition casing facing said building element;

a coiled flexible imperforate plastic sheet having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces holding it out of its said tightly coiled form, said sheet having an inner and an outer edge;

an enclosure housing said coiled sheet, said enclosure including means defining a lengthwise slot through which said sheet passes as said frame is extended and retracted with respect to said air conditioner casing; and

means carrying one edge of said sheet with the outboard side of said frame in said movement and retaining the other edge adjacent said air conditioner side so that said sheet is fed out of said enclosure upon extending movement of said frame to block said open space.

3. A mounting arrangement for blocking the open space between the side of an air conditioner casing and a generally parallel, spaced-apart building element defining one side of the building opening in which said casing is positioned, comprising:

a three-sided rectangular frame movable toward and away from the side of said air conditioner casing facing said building element, the outboard side of said frame including a hollow housing having a longitudinal slot therein;

a self coiling flexible imperforate plastic sheet having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces, said sheet having a radially inner and a radially outer edge, and opposite end coiled edges;

means stationarily securing said radially outer edge of said sheet in sealed relation adjacent the side of said air conditioner casing facing said building element; and

the remainder of said sheet being substantially contained within said upright housing forrotation therewithin upon movement of said housing, with said sheet being disposed to feed out and in through said slot upon extension and retraction movement, respectively, of said housing.

4. A mounting arrangement according to claim 3 including; said frame means includes upper and lower track means aligned with said housing slot, and disposed to receive said opposite end coiled edges of said sheet as said sheet is fed out of said housing into a flat sheet form upon extension of said frame.

5. In a mounting arrangement for a room air conditioner:

1 a box-shaped air conditioner casing;

a guide track extending in sealed relation along both the top face and bottom face of saidc'asing;

a three-sided rectangular frame on each side of said casing, each frame including horizontal upper and lower slide members having inboard portions slidably received by said guide tracks, and a vertical outboard member in the form of a hollow enclosure having a lengthwise slot therein; and

a self-coiling flexible imperforate plastic sheet, having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces, carried in unconnected relation and coiled form in each of said enclosures, said sheet having its radially outer edge held in generally sealed relation at the side of said casing in aligned relation with said slot, so that upon movement of said enclosure away from said casing said sheet is uncoiled into a flat form covering the space between said casing side and said coiled sheet enclosure. 6. in a mounting arrangement according to claim 5: said sheet includes upper and lower marginal coiled edge portions projecting above and below the planes of said top and bottom faces of said air conditioner casing; and

said upper and lower slides include flange means in aligned relation with said slot and said radially outer edge of said sheet to receive said marginal coiled edge portions of said sheet.

7. in a mounting arrangement according to claim 5: means on said guide tracks for releasably securing said slide members relative to said guide tracks.

8. in a mounting arrangement according to claim 5: flange means carried by said outboard member and adjustable in a front-to-rear direction.

Disclaimer 3,552,470.Frede'rick S. Metcalfe, Columbus, Ohio. ROOM AIR CONDI- TIONER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT. Patent dated Jan. 5, 1971. Disclaimer filed Nov. 10, 1971, by the assignee, Westinghouse Electric Gorpomtion. Hereby enters this disclaimer to all of the claims of said patent.

[Official Gazette February 29, 1.972.] 

1. A closure arrangement for blocking the open space between the side of an air conditioner casing and a generally parallel, spaced-apart building element defining one side of the building opening in which said casing is positioned, comprising: frame means movable toward and away from the side of said air conditioner casing facing said building element; a coiled flexible imperforate plastic sheet having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces holding it out of its said tightly coiled form, said sheet having a radially inner and a radially outer edge; means retaining one of said edges at said facing side of said air conditioner casing; and means for carrying the other of said edges along with said frame means, so that said open space is covered and uncovered by said sheet uncoiling and coiling, respectively as said frame means is moved relative to said casing.
 2. A mounting arrangement for blocking the open space between the side of an air conditioner casing and a generally parallel, spaced-apart building element defining one side of the building opening in which said casing is positioned, comprising: a three-sided rectangular frame movable toward and away from the side of said air condition casing facing said building element; a coiled flexible imperforate plastic sheet having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces holding it out of its said tightly coiled form, said sheet having an inner and an outer edge; an enclosure housing said coiled sheet, said enclosure including means defining a lengthwise slot through which said sheet passes as said frame is extended and retracted with respect to said air conditioner casing; and means carrying one edge of said sheet with the outboard side of said frame in said movement and retaining the other edge adjacent said air conditioner side so that said sheet is fed out of said enclosure upon extending movement of said frame to block said open space.
 3. A mounting arrangement for blocking the open space between the side of an air conditioner casing and a generally parallel, spaced-apart building element defining one side of the building opening in which said casing is positioned, comprising: a three-sided rectangular frame movable toward and away from the side of said air conditioner casing facing said building element, the outboard side of said frame including a hollow housing having a longitudinal slot therein; a self coiling flexible imperforate plastic sheet having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces, said sheet having a radially inner and a radially outer edge, and opposite end coiled edges; means stationarily securing said radially outer edge of said sheet in sealed relation adjacent the side of said air conditioner casing facing said building element; and the remainder of said sheet being substantially contained within said upright housing for rotation therewithin upon movement of said housing, with said sheet being disposed to feed out and in through said slot upon extension and retraction movement, respectively, of said housing.
 4. A mounting arrangement according to claim 3 including; said frame means includes upper and lower track means aligned with said housing slot, and disposed to receive said opposite end coiled edges of said sheet as said sheet is fed out of said housing into a flat sheet form upon extension of said frame.
 5. In a mounting arrangement for a room air conditioner: a box-shaped air conditioner casing; a guide track extending in sealed relation along both the top face and bottom face of said casing; a three-sided rectangular frame on each side of said casing, each frame including horizontal upper and lower slide members having inboard portions slidably received by said guide tracks, and a vertical outboard member in the form of a hollow enclosure having a lengthwise slot therein; and a self-coiling flexible imperforate plastic sheet, having in itself and independent of any separate means a permanently set, tightly coiled form to which it independently returns upon the substantial release of external forces, carried in unconnected relation and coiled form in each of said enclosures, said sheet having its radially outer edge held in generally sealed relation at the side of said casing in aligned relation with said slot, so that upon movement of said enclosure away from said casing said sheet is uncoiled into a flat form covering the space between said casing side and said coiled sheet enclosure.
 6. In a mounting arrangement according to claim 5: said sheet includes upper and lower marginal coiled edge portions projecting above and below the planes of said top and bottom faces of said air conditioner casing; and said upper and lower slides include flange means in aligned relation with said slot and said radially outer edge of said sheet to receive said marginal coiled edge portions of said sheet.
 7. In a mounting arrangement according to claim 5: means on said guiDe tracks for releasably securing said slide members relative to said guide tracks.
 8. In a mounting arrangement according to claim 5: flange means carried by said outboard member and adjustable in a front-to-rear direction. 